Prime Rate Today
7.50%
Set by banks at Fed funds upper bound + 3.00%.
Today's HELOC Rate
Prime + 2.00% Typical Margin
9.50
%
Unchanged
vs. last week
Past 12 monthsRange 9.50 – 10.50
vs Last Year-0.50
5-Yr Avg7.30%
Prime Rate7.50%
HELOC rates have fallen 50 bps over the past year as the Fed cut. On a $50,000 HELOC balance, that's about $21/month in interest savings — and more if rates continue down.
Historical trend
HELOCs reset with the Fed.
Source: FRED · Bank Prime Loan Rate + typical 2.00% HELOC margin.
The long view: since 1990
Three and a half decades of HELOC pricing.
Cycle Peak 10.50% · 2023
Trough 5.25% · 2010
Today 9.50%
How today stacks up
vs Last Year
−0.50 pts
Tracked Fed cuts. Saves ~$250/yr per $50K balance.
5-Year Average
7.30%
Today is 220 bps above the 5-yr mean — Fed still tight.
vs Credit Card APR
−12.9 pts
HELOC is dramatically cheaper than carrying CC balances.
Use this rate
Tools for tapping home equity wisely.
About the HELOC Rate
A Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) lets homeowners borrow against the equity in their home — typically at Prime Rate plus a margin of 1.5%–3.5%. The Prime Rate itself is set by commercial banks as Fed funds upper bound + 3.00%, so HELOC rates move in lockstep with Fed funds. Most HELOCs are variable-rate, meaning your payment rises when the Fed raises rates and falls when the Fed cuts.
What this tracker shows
Today's 9.50% is the Prime Rate (7.50%) plus a typical 2.00% HELOC margin. Your actual rate depends on your credit score, combined loan-to-value (CLTV), and the lender's pricing — well-qualified borrowers can find rates 50–100 bps lower; subprime borrowers pay 200+ bps more. The introductory "teaser" rates many lenders advertise (sometimes Prime −0.50% for the first 6 months) revert to the regular rate after the promo period.
How HELOCs compare to alternatives
HELOCs are typically the cheapest unsecured-feeling credit homeowners can access — far below credit card APRs (22.43% today) and personal loans (10–14% for good credit). They're also tax-deductible if used for home improvements (the 2017 tax law restricted other uses). The downside: your home is collateral. Default risks foreclosure. Use them for high-return projects (renovation that adds value, paying off higher-rate debt) — not consumption.
Related trackers
Other live numbers that move with — or against — this one.
Frequently asked
What this number means, and what it doesn't.
Prime is the rate banks charge their best customers, set at Fed funds upper bound + 3.00%. Today's Prime is 7.50%. HELOC APRs are quoted as "Prime + X%" where X is your specific credit-priced margin — typically 1.5–3.5 percentage points.
Most HELOCs are variable-rate, adjusting monthly with Prime. Some lenders offer fixed-rate "lock" options on portions of your balance — useful when you want payment certainty for a specific draw. Read your specific loan documents carefully.
HELOC = revolving credit line (like a credit card backed by your home). Home Equity Loan = fixed-amount loan with a fixed rate and fixed monthly payment. HELOCs are typically lower-rate but variable; Home Equity Loans are higher-rate but predictable. Both use your home as collateral.
Yes, but only if the proceeds are used to "buy, build, or substantially improve" the home that secures the loan (Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, 2017). Using a HELOC for credit card payoff, college tuition, or a car? Interest is not deductible.
Methodology
Source
Pulled from FRED · DPRIME and cached on the EvvyTools server.
Update schedule
Refreshed automatically by our cron whenever the upstream source publishes a new value. Historical values are not revised after publication.
How we compute
Display value is the raw published number, unrounded. Comparison stats use the closest available reference date. We never edit the underlying data.